


Mark My Skin as Yours

by loveydoveyecstasy



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: And he and Erik are horribly domestic, Charles gets a tattoo, Fluff, M/M, Rainbow verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-06
Updated: 2012-03-06
Packaged: 2017-11-01 13:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/357270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveydoveyecstasy/pseuds/loveydoveyecstasy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles decides to get a tattoo as a surprise for his and Erik's fifth wedding anniversary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mark My Skin as Yours

**Author's Note:**

> Don't think I've ever mentioned it, but in this verse, Erik has several piercings, including his nose, eyebrow, ears, nipples, and for a brief period, his lip. He also has several tattoos on his body: A sleeve of gears on his arm in memory of his father, a rainbow on his other arm for pride, a skull and crossbones on his shoulder because of a drunken mistake and as a reminder to not get tattoos for stupid reasons, a shark, mouse, and phoenix on his lower back for his family, his and Charles's wedding bands and the inscription on them on the back of his neck and down his spine, and later, his wedding vows across his hip. He is constantly picking up new tattoos because he loves them. 
> 
> That being said, I know next to nothing about tattoos, and the healing time for them. What research I did didn't turn up anything conclusive, so if I'm wildly wrong, please, feel free to correct me.

The only problem was getting it done without Erik knowing. 

They worked together, lived together, and shared a bed together. It was going to be damn near impossible for Charles to find a time to get a tattoo like Erik’s without him noticing. It was also going to take more than one session, which was sure to tip Erik off. Charles would have to keep it carefully covered, and would be walking stiffly and trying not to wear a shirt as much as possible. 

Those were all things Erik was going to notice, unless he was thicker than Charles had ever given him credit for. 

His opportunity came the week before their anniversary. 

“What’d Mum want?” Charles asked, cheerfully rescuing George-the-girl’s tail from Jean’s squeezing hands as Erik hung up his phone. Jean was teething, and prone to chewing on whatever wear nearby. As of late, that included each of the kitten’s tails. 

“Her great-aunt is celebrating her ninety-fist birthday, and wants the entire family to be there.” 

“Oh really?”

“Mhm. She hasn’t seen me since I was six, but she demanded that her ‘tinok Erik’ come to the party.”

Charles chuckled, having picked up enough Hebrew from listening to Erik to understand that he was being referred to as a child. He absently handed Jean one of the frozen teething rings he’d pulled from the freezer earlier, mulling the information over.

“So you’re going to go, right?”

“I guess I have to. Mom guilted me into it. She said you and Jean are more than welcome to come, although Aunt Leah won’t know you, and will ask you repeatedly who you are.” 

Charles chuckled, shaking his head.

“No, I’m quite all right. Jean and I can stay here and watch the bookshop while you and Mum handle your family. It’ll be good for you to see them all again, anyway.”

Erik frowned, concerned.

“Are you sure? I hate leaving you behind, especially now that we have Jean…” Erik trailed off, looking a little sad. Charles stepped up into his personal space, smiling and standing on tiptoe to press a kiss to his cheek.

“We’ll be fine, pet. And if I need a babysitter, Raven and Hank and Alex and Armando are always nearby. You go. Enjoy your time with your extended family.” He smiled, grabbing his hands and giving a gentle squeeze. “Meanwhile, the rest of your family will be here, waiting for you.” 

Erik relaxed at that, smiling warmly and bending to press a kiss to Charles’s forehead. 

“All right. I’ll go. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the family thinks of the tattoos.” 

Charles laughed, knowing full well that outside of Edie, no one in Erik’s family knew the extent of his body modifications. They’d seen the dyed hair, and a few had even seen the piercings, but none had seen the masses of tattoos that covered his body. The sleeve of gears running from his shoulder to his wrist was bound to be a surprise to everyone, as would the wedding band resting on his left ring finger. 

“Now go pack. Jean and I can finish cleaning up in here. Can’t we, Jean?” 

Jean gurgled and squealed in response. 

“Atta girl.” 

Erik laughed, shaking his head and heading upstairs to their room to begin packing for the trip. 

“This is perfect, Jean!” Charles whispered to her, excitedly clearing away the plates and mugs of coffee from breakfast. “With your Vater gone, I can get that tattoo, and he’ll be so surprised when he gets back!” 

Jean threw her teething ring on the floor and giggled in response. 

“Yes, I’m excited too!” Charles replied, scooping up the toy and putting it in the sink to wash before handing her a new one and shooing Fred off of the table. 

Erik left reluctantly the next morning. He kissed Charles five times and Jean ten before finally making it out the door, looking back at them one last time before Charles waved and told him to get a move on, or he’d call Edie. 

Once he was gone, Charles turned to Jean. 

“Well, little one, looks like it’s just your Papa and you this week.” 

Jean blinked up at him with big, blue eyes that were beginning to turn green. 

“Yep. Just your silly old Papa and you and the kitties and Sirius.” 

Jean cooed and turned to look around the room, giggling when she saw Sirius laying on the floor beside the couch, tail thumping slowly as he whined a little. 

“I know, honey. He’ll be back soon enough.” 

Charles thought he might go a little bit crazy with Erik gone, and only the animals and his teething daughter to keep him company. 

~~~~

Getting a picture of Erik’s tattoo had been no problem at all. Charles was constantly snapping pictures of Erik on his phone to send to Edie, and this one was no different. He waited until after they were spent, and Erik was sprawled out on his stomach, sated and breathing heavily. 

“Hold still, love. I’m going to take a picture of your back.” 

“Mmm.” 

Erik hadn’t moved, and Charles had gotten a perfect picture of the rings on his neck and the words going down his spine. It was the easiest part of the plan. 

It was that same picture that he presented to the tattoo artist, Erik’s favorite one at the parlor in town. 

“Yes, see, I was wanting to get this done on my back for our anniversary.” 

The artist—a quiet, thin guy named Clint—looked over the image before eyeing Charles up and down. 

“This your first tattoo?”

“Erm. Yes.” 

He nodded, as if confirming his suspicions. 

“It’s gonna hurt.” 

Charles swallowed, but nodded, determined. 

“I know. I’m willing to deal with that. It’ll mean the world to him.” 

Clint nodded again before motioning Charles towards the chair and asking him to wait while he drew up the design a second time. 

Stretching out on the chair with his shirt off was an odd sensation to Charles. He hadn’t been shirtless for another person in years, and having someone else’s hands on his skin as he shaved and prepped the area was a foreign sensation. 

Clint worked quickly, gently pressing the stencil to his neck and spine before peeling it off and stepping back to admire his work. Satisfied, he picked up the oscillating unit and turned it on. Charles gulped a little at the buzzing sound. 

“All right. This is gonna sting.” 

Charles grit his teeth and nodded. 

The pain wasn’t unbearable. It wasn’t pleasant, either, but it was more than Charles had been expecting. He hadn’t realized he’d been clenching his fists in pain until Clint told him he was done for the day, and could take a look in the mirror. 

Charles relaxed his body, wincing at the ache in his fingers, before standing up and crossing over to the full length mirror Clint had up in the shop. He glanced over his shoulder at the tattoo, which was mostly just the outline and some coloring on the rings, and smiled. 

“It’s coming along wonderfully,” he said, twisting his head back around to smile at Clint. Clint nodded and covered the tattoo, giving him instructions on how to care for it, and to come back in three days to give the skin time to heal. 

That night, Charles found it difficult to bend to pick Jean up, or anything else, really. His back throbbed from the pain of the tattoo, and he had to lay on his stomach to sleep that night. 

The pain from the second session was almost as bad, but at least once it was over, he was done for good. He almost cried when he caught sight of the tattoo in the mirror. 

“It’s perfect, Clint,” he murmured, staring lovingly at the inscription scrolling down his back. 

“Yeah. Glad you’re happy with it.” 

“I am. Erik will love it too.”

Clint smiled, the first time Charles had seen him do so in his presence. He paid for the rest of the tattoo, listened carefully to the instructions for its care, and went home to wait for Erik to return. He was to get in that night, and Charles was ready to surprise him with the tattoo. He’d even dropped Jean off with Alex and Armando, who were more than happy to take her as she and Ororo always played together well. 

When Erik walked through the front door, he was greeted by a loud barking from Sirius, and by having Fred and George-the-girl wind themselves around his ankles. 

“Charles?” Erik called, sounding more tired than he had since they’d first adopted Jean. 

“In the bedroom, love,” Charles called, sitting up and slipping his shirt over his head. He sat on the edge of the bed, biting his lip and listening to Erik get closer and closer, anxious to see his reaction. 

“Charles,” Erik breathed as he walked through the door, entire body relaxing at the sight of his husband. Charles smiled, feeling a lump well up in his throat, not realizing how much he had missed Erik while he was gone. He’d been gone for a almost a week, and had managed to return two days before their anniversary. 

To Charles, it felt like he had been gone for years. 

“Hello, Erik,” Charles murmured, standing up and crossing over to the doorway to tangle his fingers in Erik’s and lean up on tiptoe to kiss him. 

“I missed you so much, Charles.” 

“I know,” Charles murmured, carefully keeping Erik’s hands away from his back. 

“I kept—what happened to your back?” His tone changed sharply, and he stiffened as he caught sight of the gauze covering Charles’s neck and spine. 

Charles stepped back and smiled, anxious to reveal his surprise. 

“Why don’t you peel it off and see?” 

He turned around, allowing Erik to step up and begin gently peeling the tape and gauze away from his skin. He froze when the rings were revealed, and Charles had to quietly prompt him to continue.

Once it was all revealed, Charles heard Erik suck in a breath. 

“Oh,  _Charles,”_  Erik murmured. Charles turned around to look at him, finding him standing there with a hand clamped over his mouth and his eyes welling up with tears. 

“Charles, it’s…it’s beautiful. I—why?”

“Happy anniversary,” Charles said softly, feeling his cheeks flush and his own eyes well up with tears at the sight of such emotion from his husband. 

Erik said nothing, simply grabbing Charles by the hips and pulling him in close for another kiss, slow and sweet and full of promises for later, when Charles’s back wasn’t throbbing with pain. 

He spent the rest of the night doting on Charles and admiring his new tattoo, gently tracing his fingers around the words covering his spine, words that matched the inscription on their wedding bands. 

“Say it for me?” Charles asked sleepily, turning to look blearily up at Erik. 

“Ani l’dodi Ani l’dodi v’dodi li,” Erik repeated the words reverently, smiling radiantly down at Charles. Charles felt like his own face was about to split in half, he was smiling so hard. 

“Beautiful,” he said, before closing his eyes and drifting off, Erik’s fingers still tracing along his skin. 

From that point on, Erik took every opportunity he had to get Charles shirtless, to trace his skin and kiss down the ink on his back, loving that Charles had done that for him. 

It was, Charles decided, the best anniversary gift he could have ever gotten for his husband.


End file.
